Maine Reaches a COVID-19 Vaccination Milestone
80% of adults in Maine have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination.
"We know that vaccinations are the best tool to protect the health of Maine people, and with the more contagious and deadly Delta variant spreading across Maine and the nation, it is crucial that we continue to make progress and fight back against this pandemic," Gov. Janet Mills said in her announcement of the milestone.
The news comes as York County along with the rest of the counties that make up the Seacoast region — Rockingham, Strafford and Essex — remain at significant risk of COVID-19 community transmission on the CDC's map. The CDC recommends that those in the counties at the significant or high level should wear a mask indoor in public areas regardless of vaccination status.
The public university system, College of the Atlantic, MaineHealth and Northern Light Health and other colleges and hospitals are requiring that employees be vaccinated, according to a Bangor Daily News report.
Mills recommends following the CDC guidelines but did not implement a mask mandate.
60% of all New Hampshire residents regardless of age have at least one dose, according to the state COVID-19 website.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has encouraged vaccinations but signed legislation prohibiting a COVID-19 vaccine from being a requirement to receive public services including an education.
As a result UNH cannot require students and staff to be vaccinated when the new semester begins. The school encourages vaccinations and implemented a mask mandate for certain indoor areas on all three campuses.
Health care providers including Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health and Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover are mandating staff to show proof of vacciantion
Sununu has not commented on the CDC's current guidance on vaccines.
The state also facilitating vaccinations with its Mobile Vaccination Van which is available upon request for groups of all sizes. They will provide free vaccination clinics in communities throughout the state.
The Van will be at the East Kingston Fire Station on Saturday, Sept. 4, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Vaccines are free, and proof of insurance is not required. The clinic offers the two-dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson. Those who choose the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine will be given information about how they can obtain the follow-up dose.
Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH